Our country has achieved the mass production of medical-grade alpha isotopes for the first time.

According to the Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, the large scientific device China Spallation Neutron Source has recently achieved mass production of medical-grade curie-level alpha isotopes for the first time, which will accelerate the transition of domestically produced alpha nuclear drugs from the laboratory to clinical applications in China. Utilizing the large scientific device - China Spallation Neutron Source, Chinese research teams have used the additional beam irradiation of the high-energy intensity linear accelerator on a layered thorium target, combined with independently developed unified separation and purification processes, to achieve, for the first time internationally in July 2025, the simultaneous extraction of high-purity actinium-225, radium-223, and lead-212 medical-grade alpha isotopes in single batch curie levels, with radioactive purity exceeding 99%. After labeling verification, the quality is at the same level as imported products from abroad. This achievement not only breaks the long-term dependence of China on imported medical-grade alpha isotopes but also establishes an economically viable path for local production. Through further process optimization, there is now the capability of bulk supplying curie-level lead-212. To meet the demands for clinical-scale applications, the Science Center of the Spallation Neutron Source is currently advancing the construction of a dedicated 300MeV, 100kW alpha isotope production line, which, when completed, will achieve an annual production capacity of hundreds of curies, meeting the raw material supply for nearly a million doses of nuclear medicine.